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Southampton star Wanyama frays home federation

Xinhua, June 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

English Premier League Southampton FC star, Victor Wanyama, has castigated his country's federation for poor preparations ahead of the national team's tour to Rwanda and opening 2017 AFCON qualifier against Congo Brazzaville.

Kenyan players expected to depart for Kigali for the invitational Kwibuka Tournament on Friday, but Scottish head coach, Bobby Williamson, could be forced to leave with only 11 players after a number of domestic clubs refused to release their players.

The national side, commonly known as Harambee Stars, were also forced to train in a soggy, muddy pitch at an estate in the outskirts of the capital Nairobi.

Their preferred Safaricom Stadium complex in Kasarani, 8km east of the Central Business District, was not available for their use since it was pre-booked for another function.

Having joined the team on Wednesday from playing a crucial role in Southampton's qualification to next season's UEFA Europa League with a seventh finish in the EPL, Wanyama was not impressed.

"Preparation has not been good and that makes it very difficult for the coach. It's embarrassing to see the national team doesn't have somewhere to train. It' s just bad. I hope things will change as quickly as possible," Wanyama told local media.

Stars dropped six places to 123 in the latest FIFA rankings, and Williamson hopes the team will be ready to face Congo despite having less than a week to assemble a full squad.

"I'm concerned with the numbers in the team. The federation should have postponed this weekend's games because it's not helping the national team. But I understand because there is a lot of politics," the Scot lamented.

A simmering battle between Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Kenyan Premier League (KPL), the top tier league management body, has seen the latter' s club decline to release their players.

This is in spite of the Rwanda tourney falling on a FIFA calendar weekend with local champions, Gor Mahia, and fellow titans AFC Leopards SC, who have a majority of the domestic players called up for national duty leading the snub.

Tusker FC and military outfit, Ulinzi Stars are other big teams who declined to give their players leave to join the national side ahead of this weekend's fixtures that will close the first leg of the 2015 KPL season.

Should the standoff persist, the head coach will potentially have 11 players at his disposal for the trip, meaning he will have no one on the bench to call upon if the first XI fail to hold up for the entire duration of the match.

Wanyama is doubtful for the Kigali trip since his passport is still held up at the British High Commission on the eve of departure.

Kenya will also face Zambia and Guinea Bissau in Group B of the 2017 AFCON qualifiers where they are bidding for a first appearance in their biennial continental showpiece since 2004. Endi